Snowcat Meets the Avengers
by kbomb234
Summary: While fighting Loki, the team meets a teenage mutant with a curious name: Snowcat. What's up with her? With her strange body features, unusual speech pattern, kittenish demeanor, and complex past, will the team find a loyal member? ***UPDATED 3/7/13***


Hey guys, it's kbomb234 with a couple of adjustments to the story! I'm working hard on the next chapter, thank you all for being patient. Kisses and cookies to all of my followers, favorites, and reviewers!

* * *

The backside of a little tabby kitten waved in the air along with a tail that stood straight up. The cat, having not found what it was looking for in the garbage, sighed deeply. The tabby looked normal, save for the two silver hoops and aquamarine stud pierced in both ears. She jumped down from the trash can and padded into a dark alley. After looking to the left and looking to the right, the kit closed her eyes. Her body began to change. Bones elongated, muscles changed shape, and tortoiseshell fur was replaced by mocha colored skin. The light died and a skinny teenager with tabby cat ears was left. The teen scowled as she wrapped a bandanna around her head to conceal her ears. Taking a pair of glasses from her hoodie, the mutant placed them upon her face.

"Snowcat made really stupid decision, nya. Snowcat pissed Snowcat not check pharmacy dumpster medicine. Snowcat really really stupid, nya." And with her curious way of talking, Snowcat took to the streets to find the pharmacy. Wide sapphire eyes rimmed with an icy blue took in her world. The slums of New York were no place for a sixteen year old girl, but here she was. She looked into the distance and spied the Stark tower.

'How can Ironman claim to change the world when people like me walk the streets? What am I? A freak because I am homeless? Well, I'm already a freak.' Seeing the pharmacy, the girl ducked behind a dumpster in another alley. It was a very prestigious shop that would toss out medicines (and people) that didn't adhere to their snobbish regulations. What it was doing in the hood, Snowcat didn't know. She quickly stored her glasses in her hoodie pocket. Crouching to the street floor, her body began to shift into the form of a relatively large Russian Blue. Snowcat shook her blue-grey fur and padded to the dumpster. She hopped into the trash and began rooting around. After about ten minutes, the Blue meowed in delight, fishing out a bottle of Children's Tylenol with only a quarter missing. Snowcat jumped out and reverted back to human form. She ran through the streets. Making a quick stop at a bathroom, she vigorously scrubbed all parts of the bottle so it wouldn't make anyone anymore ill. The small teen fairly bounded around, racing for fifteen minutes to the top of the apartment building where she lived.

Snowcat quietly slipped up the fire escape and opened a window on the twentieth floor. She heard the weak coughs of the little boy that lived here. Her eyes softened as the sounds of his mother sobbing in the living room. Her son was dying from a simple cold. They were so poor, the young mother could barely afford to pay the rent, let alone buy fever medication for her son. Snowcat had been doing her best to help them, but this was the first time she would have to make direct contact with any of them. Luckily, she had spoken with the boy Josiah. Carefully, the cat snuck into the home. She padded to the boy's room.

"Josiah-kit, nya? Josiah-kit!" Snowcat whispered. The delirious little boy raised his head weakly. "Hey, Josiah-kit. How Josiah-kit, nya?"

Josiah laughed weakly, but dissolved into a coughing spell. "Hey Snowcat. I can't play today. Mama said that I'm really sick."

"Snowcat know Josiah-kit sick. Snowcat make Josiah-kit better, nya." She unscrewed the lid and poured the required dose into the plastic cap. Snowcat pressed the cup to his lips. "Drink Josiah-kit, nya. Tylenol heal Josiah-kit."

The boy took the medication, though his face twisted weakly. "It tastes icky."

"Make Josiah-kit better." She gently placed her hand on his forehead. Channeling her powers, she slowly decreased the temperature of her hand. He squirmed slightly at the unexpected cold, but sighed happily after a few moments.

"Thank you, Snowcat." he mumbled sleepily before he drifted off into dreamland.

"Josiah-kit welcome," she whispered softly. Snowcat gently kissed his brow. She placed the medicine on his bedside desk for his mother to find and give him. She snuck out of the home, a relieved grin on her face. The cat scampered up the fire escape to her quiet oasis on the roof.

Snowcat liked it a lot. It was peaceful for sleeping and high enough to satisfy her instinctual desire for a high perch. She padded into an open closet, returning with a backpack slung across her shoulders with two odd rods wrapped in paper sticking out of it. She sat down and took out a cloth, a stone, and some polish. Grabbing a rod, Snowcat unraveled it. A deadly four foot sword was revealed in a black and turquoise sheath. She looked into the blade and stared at her reflection. Reaching up, she removed her bandanna, allowing her Russian Blue ears to spring out. Tears quietly began to trickle down her cheeks. She was a freak. Not only was she a freak, but she was a freak among freaks. At least other mutants weren't... she would never fit in anywhere.

Overcome, Snowcat jerked her gaze from the flat. She slapped some polish onto it and began to oil her blade. With each vicious rub, she tried to forget. The monotonous work would cause her to lose focus in everything. At least, she hoped. Snowcat hummed brokenly. She polished her weapon until it shone brilliantly in the sickly street light. With the stone, she whetted both edges of the blade to keep them battle ready. Once satisfied with the sharpness, she continued the process with the other sword.

During a pause in her sharpening of the second sword, Snowcat looked out at the great New York City. 'I think, I think it's time for me to move on. I have no prospects here. No one wants to hire a street cat with no credentials in a big city like New York.'

She gave a deep sigh and finished whetting the blade. Rewrapping both swords, she replaced them in her backpack. Snowcat picked up an old, but obviously well-loved, stuffed white tiger out of her bag. A soft mew of content escaped her lips as she buried her nose in its fur. Her sense of smell wasn't as strong as a dog's, but she could still find and separate scents better than a normal human. She noiselessly sorted through each scent until she found the faintest one. She began to purr softly as she focused her nose on that single fragrance. It was a comforting, familial blend of a woman's perfume (mixture of berries, pomegranates, and mangoes), a man's cologne (diluted musk, pine, mint, and a hint of smoke), and baby powder. The components of each perfume were lost from her nose with age, but she had memorized them as a young kit. Snowcat imagined the scent of the family she never knew enveloping her in a warm embrace. A sleepy smile spread over her lips. This was the one way that she could remember her family. Fuzzy memories of a pale yellow room and two musical voices, one motherly and kind, the other gruff but affectionate danced tantalizingly just out of her recognition. As she fell asleep, Snowcat desperately gripped the last vestiges of her parents' voices with the oiled fingers of an aging memory.

* * *

Snowcat walked down the streets, pack on her back. She had made the decision to move on. The city was no place for an unaccredited young woman who wished to keep herself legal and untouched. Affectionately touching certain landmarks, she seared them into her memory. A sad smile toyed on her lips. Despite the hood and crime, New York was a beautiful, beautiful city. She would miss it, but the new adventure would be fun to go on. Maybe she could even find a family to-

Her eardrums nearly burst at the violent sound, light blinding her eyes. A loud explosion blasted an apartment building nearby. Snowcat was blown away by the violent shock wave into a neighboring building. Vibrations pinned her to her spot for fear of harming herself by falling or getting hit by debris.

'What the hell?' Snowcat slowly rose as the tremors faded. To her knowledge, terrorists weren't as likely to attack New York City after the violent response to 9/11. Nevertheless, better safe than sorry. She trod carefully as she approached the smoldering site. Everything was deathly silent as she got closer. Then the screams came. Sound of battle began washing over her ears. Gunfire, explosions, screams of pain, haunting animalistic bellows, and other terrifying noises escaped the scene. Her ears flattened against her head to block out the sounds. They brought too many horrible memories back to the surface, events that should have never happened. Stray blue gunfire peppered towards her hiding spot. She leapt towards a still standing streetlight and swung up. She analyzed the situation visually now that she could see what was going on.

It was not pretty. Weird monsters were brutalizing the civilians that weren't fast enough to escape. They were torn apart with staffs that also seemed to double as rifles. The scent of blood mixed with burning human flesh rose towards her as the wind slowly picked up, blowing downwind. The urge to lose what little breakfast she had almost overwhelmed her as she swore she could hear sissy Raptor screaming in pain. A phantom scent of burnt feathers helped drown her internal torment, causing her sanity to deteriorate at speeds unparalleled in years pas- NO! Snowcat shook her head violently. She would not succumb to the madness again. Never again.

Snowcat knew what she had to do. Standing straight, she stripped off her tattered jacket and placed it into her backpack. She ripped the seat of her pants, allowing her tail to escape. She strapped her sheathed swords onto her back in the classic x-formation. She removed her glasses and shoved them into her pack. Her hand hesitated at the bandanna, but she untied it, storing it in her backpack. Snowcat paused in her preparations, closing her eyes in anguished turmoil. Was she an idiot? Was she being an utter fool in daring to attempt heroism? She was just a homeless teen mutant in ripped jeans and a worn tank top. How the hell was she going to stop a horde of monsters? At that moment in time, a little girl ran past her, crying and screaming hysterically. Three of the creatures were chasing after her. They were firing at her lazily, almost as if they were enjoying their task. A rage boiled within Snowcat. That was the last straw. She refused to let others die because she was too scared to act. White fur spotted with black covered her skin as she changed into her "furry" form. With an enraged roar, she leapt off the light and charged towards the aliens. They didn't even have a chance to react. Snowcat slew them one right after another. Wiping the blood from her jaws, she resisted that age-old urge to fall upon the corpses and gorge on them, struggling desperately with her powerful instincts to kill mindlessly. A faint whimper from a pile of rubble snapped her out of it. Her maternal side rose up. Dropping back to all fours, she began rooting through the ruins to find the girl.

"Kit okay, nya?" Snowcat shouted.

"I want my mommy!" the girl cried.

"Kit's name, nya?" Snowcat asked. Using the sound of the girl's voice, she began to pinpoint her exact location.

"My name is Rosie and you talk funny," Rosie said, sniffing loudly.

"Snowcat talks like Snowcat, nya. Snowcat not silly!" she replied with a fake hurt tone. Rosie giggled. A smile touched Snowcat's lips. The little one was not hysterical anymore. Good. "Rosie-kit sing so Snowcat find Rosie-kit, nya?"

"Yep! My mommy taught me a song that I sang in front of my whole school! I won a pretty blue ribbon for it."

"Can Rosie-kit sing now, nya?"

"Sure!" the little girl cleared her throat and began the song.

"Ooooooaaaaoh, Ooooooaaaaoh, Ooooooaaaaoaoaoaoh."

'Oh no, God no,' Snowcat thought desperately. Homeless she may have been, there were some things that were learned on the streets that were either beneficial, useless, or dangerous. This song definitely fell under the dangerous category.

"You know you love me,

You know you care.

Just shout whenever,

And I'll be there."

Snowcat flattened her ears against her head. She swore violently. The deities above must be having a ball over her misfortune. Bad enough she had to rescue a kit that was stuck in the middle of rubble, but now she was forced to listen to that damned song! She began to increase her pace to frantic speeds.

"And I was like,

Baby, baby, baby, oooooooh, like,

Baby, baby, baby, nooooooo, like,

Baby, baby, baby, oooooooh,

Thought you'd always mine, mine."

Dust rained on her, painting her fur gray. Rosie must have been very small. The fact that she could fit into the twisted debris so easily was either a testament to her freakish flexibility or her short height. Aha! She was only a few feet away from Rosie. Snowcat could see a little arm covered in soot swinging almost happily.

"Rosie-kit! Snowcat see you!" The arm stopped swinging and a little girl with red hair and amber eyes turned to look at Snowcat, song dying on Rosie's lips. Her eyes widened almost comically at the sight of the walking, talking snow leopard.

"Kitty!" Rosie squealed. A slight smile spread over Snowcat's face. Rosie leapt onto the cat, hugging her tightly.

"Rosie-kit wrap arms and legs round Snowcat. Don't look, nya?" The little girl nodded and obeyed. Snowcat, after a moment of securing Rosie to her body, crawled out of the rubble. It was hard work with a child attached to her, but the previously dug trail helped. She had given Rosie a strip of cloth to protect her lungs. The dust was notorious for causing problems in young children. It took her a good half hour, but Snowcat reached her entry way with little injury. Poking her head from the entrance, the teen hero looked around to check if there were any of those creatures around.

"Snowcat, can I look now?" Rosie whispered.

"No, Rosie-kit. Snowcat find person help Rosie-kit find queen." Summoning what appeared to be a swirling sphere of water around her fists, Snowcat began to run through the streets. The damned monsters would not give up. They would shoot at her, attempt to stab her, and worst of all, try to rip Rosie from her arms. Unable to tear at them with her blades, Snowcat used ice spears and her claws to dispatch the aliens. Rage suddenly filled Snowcat as she heard Rosie whimper in fear. Was there not anyone who was here fighting with her? Were the protectors of these cities utter cowards even after 9/11? She was so infuriated that she almost missed the red, white, and blue shield zipping past her ear, dispatching an alien that had escaped her notice. The shield ricocheted off a building, bounced off a wall, and landed in the hand of a man dressed in blue, white, and red.

Snowcat's brain snapped out of survival mode as she witnessed the man in action. 'He's a potential ally!' her instincts screamed. 'Offer your services to him and get Rosie-kit out of here!'

"Star Striped Man!" she called. He turned and looked at her strangely.

"Who are you?" he demanded sharply.

"Snowcat name Snowcat."

The man stared at her in confusion. "I'm sorry, but what did you say?"

"Snowcat name Snowcat. Snowcat help, nya. Star Striped Man take Rosie-kit and tell Snowcat where fi-!" She broke off from her tangent and pierced through a pouncing alien with a giant ice spike. Both heroes paused in their conversation to disperse the creatures that swarmed around them. Snowcat used her ice powers to form spears and javelins that devastated the advancing horde. The man used his shield and fists to dispatch the ugly creatures. Between the two of them, they eradicated the aliens in their general area. Snowcat pulled on the man's sleeve and led him to a nearby still standing alley.

"Talk no interruption," she said as explanation. "Star Striped Man take Rosie-kit safe place?"

"Yes, I can. But my team still needs to take down these aliens. This isn't your fight, little lady," the man explained. Snowcat cocked an eyebrow.

"Star Striped Man kidding Snowcat, nya? Snowcat willing and fighter. Snowcat made to fight, nya."

The man stared at her hard. She felt extremely self conscious, but met his gaze. Snowcat was not backing down. She had risked her tail too many times to be brushed aside now. Snowcat set Rosie down, adding a quick, "Rosie-kit look now,", and stared him full in the face. "Please," she begged quietly.

The man bowed his head, seeming to think a moment, before lifting his head.

"You can fight with us. Give me the kid." Snowcat grinned, and then squatted to face Rosie.

"Rosie-kit, Star Striped Man find queen. Snowcat fight."

"But, Snowcat!" Rosie whimpered, tears beginning to stream down her face. "I don't want you to go! What if the monsters hurt you or even kill you?"

Snowcat knelt down, wiping Rosie's cheeks with the hem of her shirt. "Snowcat promises not die. Pinky promise."

Rosie linked her pinky with Snowcat's and the two solemnly nodded. Snowcat stood up and turned to the man.

"Who Snowcat fight with?" she asked. He paused, contemplating quietly.

"Find the Hulk. He's a giant green rage monster and will need a calmer mind to help him. You will need to get an aerial view to find out where he is."

"Thanks, Star Striped Man." Snowcat unsheathed her claws with a bloodthirsty smirk. She prepared to head over to one of the buildings, fangs extended when a voice cut into the air.

"Hey, kid!" The leopard looked back. "Call me Captain America."

A kinder smile spread over the teen's lips."Thanks, America's Captain."

"Close enough," Captain America sighed in slight frustration. The redheaded child in his arms waved enthusiastically at Snowcat who was scaling one of the building walls.

"Bye, Snowcat! Remember, you pinky swore!" Snowcat waved a paw/hand hybrid back in understanding and disappeared onto the roof. The genetic weapon surveyed the battlefield. Her sharp eyes picked out the fighters for humanity. A redheaded woman in a black catsuit was shooting her way through the advancing hordes. A brunet picked off the aerial ones that were getting too close to his teammates. Ironman (she recognized him from a TV that had been playing in an electronics store) zipped about, trying to take out as many airborne aliens as possible. Captain America was getting Rosie to safety. Lastly, a blond man wearing a red cape that Superman would envy wreaked havoc with a hammer that seemed to be quite… electric. But none were the raging green giant she had been assigned to. Where was h- the bellow of one of the living ships directly behind her scared the shit out of her. A hulking (no pun intended) jade man was punching his way through the smaller monsters. The ship flew past her, threatening to abandon her. Snowcat began to run. She was determined to prove her worth, determined to fight. Subconsciously, her body was shifting to become the cheetah. The speed would keep her on the right path and would propel her to the ship. She moved faster and faster, the world becoming a blur. An eerie screech of joy escaped her lips as she neared the roof's edge. And then…. she was sailing through the air. Quickly, the cat extended her claws and hooked them into hand/foot holds.

Her powerful limbs kept her upright and steady as she muscled her way up the living ship. She could still hear the sounds of battle from its top, so she knew the Hulk was still there. Increasing her speed, the cat raced up to the top and morphed back into a snow leopard. While the cheetah was good for speed, the snow leopard had bulk and its bone structure was much sturdier which was better for fighting. Snowcat ran straight towards the fight. Blades unsheathed, she leapt onto the first creatures in her path. The aliens were good fighters. However, she was better. The years she had been forced to train with her weaponry came back to her. Slash here, parry there, and stab. Street fighting also came in handy for dirty tricks. Her adrenaline ran so high; she barely felt a nasty gash to her side. A roar filled the air next to her. She halted; jaw slack in awe as she witnessed the Hulk beating the shit out of the aliens that dare piss him off. His fists pounded a piece of shrapnel into the beast, severing through its neck. The creature let out an anguished death cry and fell several stories to crash lifeless onto the street floor.

The two heroes leapt off the monster before it collapsed. Snowcat jumped from window ledge to window ledge until she reached the rooftop where the Hulk had landed. A growl escaped his lips when he spied the cat. He lumbered towards her. She began backing up, but he wasn't backing down. Punches and debris rained down as his rage towards the unknown threat grew. In a scenario where almost anyone is a threat, all newcomers were perceived as wanting to attack him. Even Bruce, the irritating restraint in the back of his head, wanted to eliminate the furry fighter. He cornered her into an alley, determined to destroy the snow leopard.

Snowcat was trapped. There was nowhere for her to run. She couldn't run past him or climb back down. The Hulk lumbered towards her and howled in her face. Saliva splattered onto her rippling fur and hair as the sheer force blew her back. Ok, now Snowcat was pissed, idiocy of the emotion be damned. Her terror completely shifted into swirling anger. She had come too far to be killed by her appointed ally and she was determined to live to see tomorrow, damn it! Wiping the spit off of her face, she walked two steps in the direction of the Hulk. An answering roar ripped itself from her throat as her ears flattened and her fur puffed up to make her seem more threatening.

"Snowcat not Hulk's enemy, but Snowcat will defend herself." she snarled. The Hulk froze, slightly shocked. Even through the fog of rage, he had never met someone willing to stand up to him without the scent of fear. It was sobering. All who had tried to stop him reeked of fear. Their terror was a highly addictive scent that helped fuel his vicious rage. This little cat, though fear had exuded from her earlier, was no longer producing the smell. She was devoid of it and it was starting to clear his fury. "Snowcat help Hulk. Snowcat Hulk's ally."

"Hulk not know what little cat can do," he challenged. As a rage monster, he wasn't a popular choice for group fights, especially since he refused to be slowed by weaker partners.

"Snowcat fight and help injured. Snowcat help Hulk smash monsters." She could hardly believe her luck. The Hulk, the nightmare case for all therapists, had stopped his attack and communicated with her! Snowcat took another step forward, ignoring the warning growl with dry smirk on her lips. "Snowcat help, but Hulk not smash Snowcat. Snowcat help, not be stuck with broken limbs."

The two mutants stared at each other for a time. The Hulk was visibly weighing his options and arguing with Bruce. He gave her a cold once over. Her fur raised in slight discomfort. After a few tense moments, the corners of the Hulk's mouth quirked up in an accepting smile. A relieved breath escaped Snowcat. With a smile of her own, she scampered up his back and perched on his shoulder. The duo leapt off the (once) living ship, more aliens to fight in other places.

Suddenly, they saw the figure of Ironman flying up into the portal. Curious, Snowcat straightened.

"What Man of Iron doing, Hulk?"

"Hulk not know. Little cat focus on fight," the Hulk replied. She nodded, concentrating on stabbing through the aliens with ice bolts. The two immersed themselves fully into the fight. Each of them were an excellent fighter, but this fight was taking its toll. The sheer amount of aliens was overwhelming. Every time they killed one, three took its place. Was this the end of the world? Were the Avengers about to be overrun? A rabid mob threw themselves onto the two heroes. The Hulk tore them off of his body, roaring his hatred. Snowcat screamed her rage as she stabbed and slashed the wriggling bodies atop of her. This was it, their final stand!

Suddenly, an explosion of unheard of proportions rippled the portal as it closed. The sound wave escaped and radiated throughout the city. The aliens, both flying and grounded, all dropped dead. Snowcat paused in her onslaught. Silence reigned over the city. Explosions ceased, screams no longer rent the air; it was all quiet. Even the Hulk had stopped beating on the aliens. Snowcat turned to her companion.

"Hulk, Avengers and Snowcat win? Aliens all dead!"

"Trick," he snarled. But before he could continue, a voice pierced the silence.

"He's not slowing down!" The two turned their heads and spied Ironman falling from the sky. His lights were off, indicating he was unconscious.

"Hulk!" Snowcat screamed.

"Hold on!" he ordered. Snowcat clung to his shoulder, claws lightly piercing his skin. The Hulk leapt through the air and caught Ironman's prone body. Before they slammed roughly into a building, Snowcat leapt off and climbed/swung her way to the street. The Hulk smashed harshly into the building, sliding down. The two landed with a sharp crunch on the asphalt. The rest of the Avengers gathered around the limp suit of armor. Snowcat dropped to all fours and crawled onto the man's chest. She rooted under his chin, trying to discover the latch to open his helmet.

"Ah ha!" She crowed as the faceplate popped up. Sheathing her claws, Snowcat slapped Tony in the face. He did not wake. A dark hiss escaped her lips. She slapped him again even harder. Now he had a harsh bruise on his face, but he did not even wince. Snowcat's fangs extended angrily and she roared viciously in the man's face. Stark still remained comatose. Her ears wilted sadly. She stepped off of him, a whimper escaping. The Hulk bared his teeth in barely concealed rage. He didn't save Metalman's hide for nothing. He roared viciously in the face of Tony Stark. Stark woke up with a jolt.

"Oh god, please don't tell me I was kissed...," he begged dryly. Snowcat smirked as he and the Captain bantered. Now that they were all together, there was one last duty left to be performed.

* * *

Snowcat held her paw-hand to her bandaged side to help stop the bleeding. The only irritating thing about getting injured in her "Furry" form was that fur got in the way of her treatments as the soft grumblings of Dr. Banner had revealed. Ah, well. C'est la vie. It also didn't help that four out of the six Avengers were staring at her strangely. (Tony was rambling about the need of crazy people to try and take over the world and Thor was guarding his brother) Obviously, these guys have never seen mutants before. Snowcat shivered minutely at the frozen glare Loki threw at her. From the look in his eye, he was incredibly pissed at the fact that she was a factor that he had not accounted for.

"So," Captain America asked. "Who are you?"

Blunt, wasn't he? The classic question was definitely familiar, but was normally delivered in a secure room with a one way window and blood streaming from several wounds, not in a rich man's wrecked tower surrounded by a super soldier, two master assassins, a guy with severe anger issues, a billionaire in a metal suit, and two Norse gods. At least the blood oozing from her body was familiar. A mirthless smile came to her lips.

"Snowcat name Snowcat."

Those questioning her blinked, save Steve.

"Could you repeat yourself?" Clint asked.

"Snowcat name Snowcat. Snowcat don't speak proper English."

The reactions of the four (soon to be five) were rather amusing. Steve just looked worn out that he had to decipher her garbled speech, again. Clint was mystified, Natasha seemed curious, Bruce was horrified, and Tony... well, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Very eloquent, aren't you?" he snarked.

"Tony not talk. Only Bruce understand Tony about Tower of Stark," she snarked right back. "What Avengers want know?"

"What are you?" Steve asked.

"Snowcat is Snowcat. Snowcat mutant. Ice core and five cat DNA in DNA. Snowcat control ice. Be six cats, white tiger, snow leopard, Russian Blue, tabby, cheetah, and snowcat."

"Uh-huh...," Steve eloquently stated. "Do you, uh, have a, um, human form?"

"Yep. Snowcat know. Many not like Snowcat's furry form."

And with that, she began to shift. Her fur retracted into her body, revealing coffee colored skin. The fur on her head turned filthy gray and cascaded down to her lower back. Her paw-hand/feet hybrids became true hands and feet. Bones and muscles changed shape and position. Her face pressed in and became a human face. However, two furry ears remained on her head and a tail still flicked beside her.

"This Snowcat's natural form. Snowcat not more human."

"What do you know; it's the first living furry!" Tony exclaimed.

"What?"

"It's another complicated bit of slang, Captain," Bruce explained.

Snowcat sighed and slumped. "So, what Snowcat do? Snowcat home destroyed."

"I think Fury would like to talk with you. After all, you are a mutant and a skilled one at that. After all, he is on a 'find all superhumans' kick." Clint replied. A grateful smile spread over Snowcat's face.

"So, what does the Avengers and Snowcat do with Loki?" she asked, looking at the god in question.

The other Avengers turned their attention to the trickster god.

"I can think of a couple of things we can do," snarled Natasha, fingering a small knife.

'Yeah, if Fury doesn't get here soon, Loki might be missing a few limbs...,' Snowcat thought with a slightly amused grin, a fang glistening from the corner of her mouth.

* * *

The seven heroes sat, eating shawarma. To the unobservant eye, they all seemed ready to drop over the hot meal. But, under the scrutiny of the trained observer, each member was plagued with thoughts from the day. The fight that each of them fought, with the Chitauri and Loki, defined something about themselves to their teammates and their own selves that would change them forever.

Tony picked at his food almost thoughtfully. He was there; jaw moving rhythmically, but his eyes were thousands of miles away. If it was anyone but the Tony Stark, you would have thought he was reflecting on the day, Loki, his near death, and his new team. Most likely, it was that he simply was about to collapse from exhaustion. Tony Stark sincerely caring from something more than himself and company, the idea was almost laughable. Then again, almost dying from his own sacrificial choice can change a man's view quite rapidly.

Thor feasted slowly, but heartily. It seemed his appetite was not affected by the fight. He plowed through his food like only an Asgardian could. And yet, it almost seemed he was attempting to be the pillar of strength for his exhausted teammates. Thor alone seemed unfazed from the brutal attack. (Knowing him, he might have been through worse on Asgard.) But the emotional toll of fighting his wayward, and now unstably sane, brother was high. The slightly stooped shoulders, the weary eyes, the battle-ready (even now) torso all betrayed his pleasant demeanor. Perhaps Thor wasn't as invincible as once believed.

Steve couldn't even keep his eyes open. The weight of the world appeared to have finally slipped off the shoulders of the man of time. Not just this world of now, but the world he left so many years ago. Exhaustion finally sank into his bones. (Still) Adjusting to a new timeframe, joining a team of heroes, and saving the world- yet again- left little time for sleep. Sleep, even the word seemed peaceful. He'd sworn after being removed from the ice he never needed sleep again. Funny how life liked to prove him wrong.

Clint and Natasha ate like birds, barely even touching their food. Their appetites seemed lost. But Natasha's lip corners were ever so slightly turned up in the faintest of smiles. The comradeship between the two agents had obviously strengthened with the vicious fight, not that either of them could be described as friendly anyways. But beyond the development of their (strictly platonic, damnit) relationship, an even greater joy filled their very much existent hearts. They had wiped some of the red off of their ledgers. Slowly, but surely, they were paying for the sins they have committed without giving up their lives. Fatigue had no damper on the pure happiness that had permeated through their bodies. Loki was wrong. There was a way to clean the slate.

Bruce consumed his shawarma at a steady pace. The Other Guy had really zapped his energy as he had fought. The blurred memories of carnage, explosions, and a certain cat were all that he could remember of the final fight against Loki. The Other Guy actually played nice for once. He didn't have to worry about the repercussions of his actions. A slight smile spread over his face. It was good to feel free. He hadn't killed anyone, save the Chitauri, and had acquired six new companions. Friends. For the first time in several years, he felt a kinship with someone other than himself. The six superhumans that sat with him had accepted (and respected) him for what he was. And that was good enough for him to keep fighting for and with them.

Snowcat tore through the meat like a starving tiger. Food, freshly prepared food, quickly filled her empty belly. This was the first proper meal she'd had in months. A warm feeling spread throughout her body. She had found a new pack, clan, and pride to be incorporated into. Snowcat finally felt like she didn't have to depend on herself anymore. That was a relief. You see, though Snowcat was a cat, the need to join a pack had overpowered her need to be alone. It was weird, considering that she had more genes telling her she needed to be solitary. But, hey, genetics was a messy and unpredictable field. It was a miracle Snowcat was even alive.

Snowcat looked at her new team one by one. Tony flashed her his trademark smirk, but his arrogant eyes were tinged with gratefulness. Thor gave her a wide smile, though his cheeks were full of shawarma. Steve nodded kindly at her, respect in his exhausted face. Natasha radiated curiosity as she had yet to properly meet the young mutant or assess her skills. Clint winked charmingly at her. And Bruce, well, he simply wrapped a friendly arm around the little cat. A grin spread over Snowcat's face. She had finally found a home.


End file.
